Scent
by HallowedRider
Summary: If Bella was Edward's personal brand of heroine, then what happens when Renesmee encounters hers and exposes her family for what it is? Moreover, what happens when Renesmee's own brand has abilities of his own?
1. Chapter 1

The early morning sun peeked over the horizon just as the wave crashed over Shane and his board. He broke the water's surface with a gasp and immediately searched for his board. The fiberglass surfboard was a few feet away, bobbing gently in the surf. Jumping onto the board, Shane paddled into shore and collapsed onto the sand. "Whew." He breathed, stretching his arms. He stared up at the sky for a long time before he sat up and sighed. "Guess it's time to go." He admitted, hopping to his feet and tucking his board under one arm. The sand was still cool under his feet, not yet hot from the day's sun.

He sauntered back to his jeep and stuck his board in the back, the fins sticking out of the back slightly. Shane pulled off his wetsuit and toweled the water out of his hair and off his chest before quickly pulling on a pair of cargo shorts and a red V-neck shirt. He climbed in his jeep and tossed the towel in the back seat. His hidden cove was empty, as always, and Shane gunned the jeep on the dirt path that led to the main highway. The southern Oregon morning traffic had only slightly begun, which made Shane's drive to school all the easier. He cranked up his music and hummed along to an upbeat song, ignoring the tired glares that the other students directed at him as he pulled into the school parking lot. He pulled into a parking spot that was relatively close to the front door and killed the engine, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. He sat there, resting, for a few minutes before he heard the whispers. He cracked one eye open and turned in his seat, frowning as his best friend Grayson was about to shout in an attempt to startle him. "I really wish you would find some other way to say hello." Shane said irritably, grabbing his book bag from the passenger seat and climbing out of his jeep. "Seriously. You _never_ win. I'm sure someone else would be much easier to scare."

"Nah." Grayson said, evidently finding pleasure in his failure. "You know many people would say that my own personal brand of friendship is in very high demand."

"Not by me." Shane said curtly, but he smiled nonetheless.

"That's because I'm always around you. You have a surplus of my friendship." Grayson said wisely. Other than Shane, Grayson was one of the only students that was actually a morning person. If it weren't for that fact the two would have absolutely nothing in common. Grayson was a social butterfly and involved himself in as many sports and clubs as he possibly could. Shane on the other hand was much more reserved. "You coming to tonight's game? You know the coach always wants you on the sidelines."

"I don't know." Shane said noncommittally. He knew exactly why the coach wanted him there and it wasn't because of his athleticism. It was for his mind. "Might do some night surfing tonight. The swell was pretty great this morning, hoping tonight might be the same."

"Come on dude!" Grayson groaned as they walked through the front doors. "It's the playoffs! You have to come!"

"You can win without my help." Shane told him reassuringly, morbidly amused by Grayson's pleas. "Besides, everyone just gets freaked out when I'm there."

Grayson thought about this for a moment and then shrugged with a rueful grin. "They don't say anything if we win though, do they?" Grayson laughed. "Just make sure that we _keep_ winning."

"I'll do what I can." Shane said uncertainly. His dislike of attending games extended further than just his rather anti-social tendencies. With his assistance the team had yet to lose a game this season, a marked improvement over last year's winless season. This was the first year that they had made playoffs in over half a century. Shane had joined the team only after much whining and convincing on Grayson's part. Their first game had started out like every game had last season, but at halftime something changed. During the second half Shane's team had routed the opposition without allowing so much as a single yard in offense. The victory had been so one sided in the second half that an article in the county newspaper had actually called into question the referee's judgement. The change had begun when Shane had put a quiet word into his coach's ear and that word had led to the dark haired young man getting a headset. After the rout the coach had looked at Shane like he had been possessed. _Guess that's what happens when you can tell them exactly what play the other team is going to run._ Shane thought bitterly. After they went on the longest winning streak in school history word began to spread and Shane soon enough began to receive odd looks from the other students. He had ignored it at the beginning, but soon enough the odd looks had turned into cold shoulders and ignored greetings.

"Just make sure you are there buddy!" Grayson encouraged him, punching his shoulder lightly. A light went off behind his eyes and a sly smile spread across the blonde man's face. "So have you heard the news? Some rich doctor and his family moved into the old Franklin place up on the hill."

That took Shane by surprise. The Franklin place had long since been hailed as a local haunt, rumor had it that the ghosts of the elderly couple that died there still roaming its halls. "I thought that the Franklin place was run down?" Shane wondered. He had in fact been there just the month before and the walls had been falling in on themselves. "Where are they going to live? That place isn't suitable for living right now."

"Apparently they've been working on it for a little while now." Grayson shrugged. "I thought that maybe someone would have heard something before they actually _got_ to school, but hey. It is what it is. What do you think they'll be like? From what I heard a few are juniors and a few are sophomores like us."

"I guess they'll be like normal students." Shane shrugged noncommittally. "I mean, the doctor is probably going to work at the local hospital, right? Or was he going to open up his own little clinic?"

"I don't know man." Grayson said, shrugging. "But from what I hear the girls are pretty freaking hot."

"One-track mind, right Grayson?" Shane sighed at his friend. "Come on, I don't want Mr. Zuma to yell at us for being late again."

"I'll meet you there." Grayson said, turning and walking the opposite direction from his friend with a backwards wave.

Shane rolled his eyes at the lie. Even without his… whatever it was he could tell that Grayson was lying without reading his thoughts. He very rarely showed up to class on time, but his position on the football team somewhat negated any hostility that the teachers might have had towards him. Unfortunately for Shane his role in the team, while largely responsible for their success, was only a passing rumor that made his life all the more difficult. The faculty would not be nearly as forgiving to him as they were to the other members of the team. Even the coach would only go so far to help him and he knew _exactly_ how valuable Shane was. The five minute warning bell dinged gently overhead and Ryker walked into his first class, Chemistry, with a resolved sigh to another boring day at school. He didn't bother to mean any of the wary glares sent at him, he didn't even bother trying to listen into their thoughts. They would only be filled with suspicion laced slanders at him. He had heard them so often that he had most of them memorized. That was the unfortunate thing about a small school, creativity was not in large supply.

Shane took his usual place by the window and stared out at the student parking lot, already yearning for his surfboard again. He loved surfing before school, but it made school all the more boring because of it. He barely paid any attention at all that day, which was pretty much standard since the football season had begun. Yet even with that lack of interest his grades had never been better. _Sort of makes it easy when you can eavesdrop on other people who have the right answer._ Shane thought with a tedious sigh. He made it through the day without a care in the world, rejoicing internally when the final bell for the day rang. He was the first out of the class and had made it halfway to his truck when he heard the unmistakable bass voice of his coach call, "Shane! My office! Now!"

Groaning, Shane looked back and forth between the coach's office and his jeep before turning back and sulked his way into the office. Once inside the coach directed him to the chair on the other side of his desk. Taking the seat opposite him, the coach sat down and crossed his arms. "So, tonight's the first round of playoffs." He said gruffly, eyeing Shane warily. "We even have a home field advantage. So where were you going?"

"Nowhere." Shane muttered, resolving himself to another Friday wasted.

It was just as he had predicted. A wasted Friday. The other team put up a tremendous effort, even managing to score several touchdowns, but in the end their efforts were for naught. When the team met in the locker room the coach praised their tenacity and great skill, but Shane was left out of his praise. As usual. In fact, Shane had left as soon as the game was over. He wanted no part of the inevitable celebrations that were to follow the first playoff win for the school in such a long time. He wandered his way to his jeep and slipped into the driver's seat. He breathed out a sigh as he sat back in his seat, closing his eyes. "At least they made it interesting." He said quietly. Almost as much as he hated being used, he hated allowing a team that so definitely did not deserve to win the victories they had not earned. The opponents should have wiped the floor with them several times over but, thanks to Shane, it was as if none of their flawlessly executed plays could pierce the defense that seemed to know each play they ran.

The familiar sound of the waves on the shore served to somewhat calm him from his agitated state. Shane quickly switched his clothes out for his wetsuit and grabbed his board. The moon provided a perfect light for night surfing, which Shane eagerly took advantage of. He paddled out to where the waves crested and spent the next several hours losing himself in the waves. Only when the water had grown too cold for him to bare did he finally return to shore. Even the sand was bitterly cold beneath his feet, but the activity had served his purpose. He had effectively tuned out the pesky guilt that had accompanied the victory. He grabbed his towel from his jeep and was toweling off his hair when he heard something behind him. He glanced around curiously and his mind went momentarily blank. Standing behind him was an absolutely _gorgeous_ girl. Far surpassing anyone that Shane had ever seen before, in fact she eclipsed them entirely. She was gazing at him with such an odd medley of emotions that all intrigued him equally. "Uh, hi?" He said uncertainly, throwing his towel over one shoulder and leaning casually on his jeep. He focused his mind and peered into her thoughts, curious as to why she was in _his_ hidden cove, and immediately recoiled. She was _thirsty_ in a way that Shane had never experienced. In the instant that his mind touched hers he instantly knew that she was not human. She was something else entirely. She took a lurching step towards him, her chocolate brown eyes ravenous even in the moonlight. Shane tried to take a step back as well, but he merely ran into his beach. She took another step forward, hesitant and jerky like before. It was almost as though she did not _want_ to move towards him. But move towards him she did all the same. When she was only five feet away Shane threw his surfboard at her and leapt into his jeep. He heard a shattering sound but did not bother to see what had become of his board. Instead he turned the key in his jeep and slammed his foot on the accelerator. The jeep lurched forward about a foot before it suddenly stopped. Shane hammered the ignition over and over but it was no use. Cold hands grabbed him and roughly pulled him out of his vehicle. He was airborne for a moment before falling hard against the dirt road. His breath was driven from his lungs but before he could draw in another breath the girl was there. Her eyes were filled with remorse and hunger as she leaned over Shane. He tried to push her away but she was strong on a level he had never experienced before. Strong on a level that he didn't even think existed. Her hands were like vices as they wrapped around his head and forced his neck to the side. "I'm so sorry." She whispered before lowering her mouth to his now exposed neck.

"What are- STOP!" Shane wheezed, fighting to regain his breath.

But she did not stop. He screamed in pain when her teeth broke the skin of his neck and she began to drink his blood. It was all the more terrifying as Shane could hear her own hatred for her actions, hating herself. His vision grew dark and his attempts at pushing her off grew more and more sluggish until he was forced to cease the efforts altogether. His hands fell to his side and he faded from consciousness entirely.

 **Alright readers, first of all thank you for taking the time to read. Your input as to this story thus far are tremendously appreciated. This was... interesting to write.**


	2. Apologize

Disjointed voices, angry ones, picked through the haze that covered Shane's mind. He did not know where he was, nor how he had gotten there. He had fully expected to never again regain consciousness, much less deal with what felt like the world's worst headache. His heart pounded sluggishly in his chest, almost like it could not be bothered to actually give the effort to continue pumping blood. Perhaps his heart had given up on him. _That would figure._ Shane thought bitterly. He struggled to open his eyes, fighting to make his body follow his commands although it clearly did not want to. He could feel something soft beneath him, something that felt suspiciously like a pillow under his head. After what felt like hours of wrestling with his eyelids, Shane finally managed to open them. He blinked once, fought with his eyelids again, and then proceeded to attempt to gain his bearings. He did not bother sitting up, he knew he would not be able to even if he tried, besides the IV in his arm was something that he did not want to disrupt. He dragged his eyes across the room, uncertain with where he was. He had been to the local hospital more than once and he was very certain that his was not there. The thought of the girl who had attacked him returned to his mind and his heart began to speed up as a thought occurred to him. _Shit, what if she comes back?_ Curious to see just how well his body would respond to his commands, Shane focused on the arm that did not have an IV in it. His hand twitched slightly but his arm did not rise like he had intended it to. He redoubled his efforts, a light sweat breaking out on his forehead, and managed to push himself to an upright position. The effort left him gasping for breath and his heart was causing a machine to beep dangerously. The motion of sitting up sent a tremor of pain through Shane's neck and it was only then that he felt the bandages where the girl had bitten him. They were growing warmer by the second and he had a suspicious feeling that his movement had caused the wound to reopen itself and begin to bleed.

Shane grabbed the IV in his arm, still breathing hard with the effort that every single movement seemed to cause him, and mentally steeled himself to pull it out of his arm. The machine that monitored his heart beeped angrily again as his pulse picked up slightly. He looked away as he wrapped his fingers around the tube that fed into his arm and took in the room. It was a very bright room, almost to an overzealous extent. Everything was either white, yellow, or some other very bright color. Even the heart monitor was a cheerful shade of pink. Shane held his breath and was just about to tug on the IV when he suddenly felt his hand removed from the tube. "No, I am afraid that I cannot allow you to further risk your life." A blonde haired, and ridiculously good looking, man said. Shane was forced back onto the bed with extraordinary gentleness and speed. In fact, he had not realized what was happening until his head was back on the pillow and the blanket had been pulled back around him. The doctor moved with inhuman quickness, which made sense. Shane peered into his mind immediately and knew in that instant that he was not human. When the doctor had finished his ministrations he turned to Shane with an apologetic smile. "Forgive me for not introducing myself. I am-."

"Doctor Carlisle Cullen." Shane said, cutting him off. The doctor seemed rather surprised but nodded. Shane sighed and then continued on. He already knew what this doctor was, so why not say as much? "You are a vampire."

Carlisle's face went blank with shock but then a rueful smile spread across his face. "I suppose, with your ability, that it would be nigh on impossible to hide such a thing from you. Besides, you had already met Renesmee."

The name struck fear into Shane. He had heard the girl's name in her thoughts even as she was draining him. The heart monitor beeped again and Carlisle's eyes darted to the screen. "Do not worry," He said soothingly. "You are safe now, though I will be keeping you here for several days to ensure that you make a full recovery. Besides, there are things that we need to talk about."

"Like how by knowing your secret I am putting all of you at risk?" Shane inquired. He had to admit, it was rather nice not having to conceal his gift. Carlisle smiled at him and Shane smiled back apologetically. "Sorry, can't help myself."

"I don't think that an apology is necessary." Carlisle told him. The vampire looked at him for a long moment, like he was uncertain of something. "You know, you are handling the existence of vampires very well. Most humans would be terrified at least. In addition to that you… did not find out about our kind in the best manner."

Shane, with some difficulty, brought a finger to his head and tapped it against his temple in explanation. "Guess I just know that you aren't dangerous." He said. He tried to shrug but the effort was for naught. "Vegetarians? Come on, you could have come up with a better name for it than that."

Carlisle laughed softly and shook his head in evident disbelief. "You know, I thought that I would have grown used to having my mind read long ago." He admitted. "And yet you continue to surprise me."

"Just wait till I really get going." Shane hesitated and Carlisle looked at him curiously. With a mental shrug he decided to ask the question. "I get that you are a 'good' vampire and all, but why would you save me? It would have been a lot easier to just throw my body in the ocean and say that I got attacked by a shark."

Shane's neck was wet with what he suspected was blood and Carlisle immediately set to reapplying the dressing. "Well, I suppose that is more for Nessie's sake than anything." He told him, his hands a blur as they tended to the wound. "She is still rather young. Had she taken your life I am not entirely sure how that would have affected her. Saving you was selfish."

"How did you save me?" Shane asked, wincing as the wound throbbed in protest. "I mean, I was pretty much a goner."

"Had Nessie been alone when she came across you, then yes." Carlisle stepped back to observe the dressing and nodded at what he saw. "But, luckily for you, she was with a very good friend by the name of Jacob."

"Lucky me." Shane muttered, his eyelids growing heavy. He blinked several times to alleviate the weariness but Carlisle was not fooled by the motion.

"You need more rest." He said decisively. "I will answer any and all questions that you may have once you have rested. Your body will need time to replenish the blood it lost. I would have given you a transfusion but unfortunately my rapport among my current colleagues has not yet been established."

"Wait a minute." Shane said, struggling against his desire to sleep. "What about school? How long are you planning on keeping me here?"

"For as long as it takes for you to make a full recovery." Carlisle said simply. "Whether that is two weeks or a month, it makes no difference to me. I have already contacted the school and informed them that you were involved in an accident. Regarding that, your parents, where-?"

"No clue." Shane managed a slight shrug. "Probably off on some assignment. They are both field journalists so they aren't home all that much. You don't have to worry about them."

Carlisle nodded and then fixed him with a stern look. "Now rest." He told him. "And don't tamper with the IV."

The vampire swept out of the room in a blur and Shane fell asleep almost instantly. Thankfully he didn't dream at all, which was unusual for him, and he rested for what he assumed was a long time. When he awoke again he felt marginally better. His limbs were responding to his responses at least. He opened his eyes and, with exceeding carefulness, pushed himself to a sitting position. Restless already, he frowned at his IV and sighed. A small cough from his side brought his attention away from the IV and Shane immediately paled. _She_ was sitting there, on a chair in the corner of his room. She had changed from the sweater she had been wearing but it was definitely her. Even if her clothing was different and he had not remembered her face in excruciating detail her _mind_ still gave her away. At the forefront of her thoughts were the events of that night and her desire that his scent inspired in her. A desire that would have very poor repercussions for Shane should she follow through with them. He pushed himself as far away from her as he could, which was not much considering how much the bed limited his ability to move. She seemed more amused by his actions, though morbidly so.

"I don't suppose we can start over… can we?" She asked with a glimmer of hope in her voice.

"Oh yeah sure," Shane rolled his eyes. "Because I let all my friends try to drain me of my blood."

"I thought as much." She sighed and leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. "Would you believe me if I said I'm sorry?"

"I would if I couldn't hear that you are struggling with your desire to fly across the room and finish what you started earlier." Shane said coldly, glaring at her. "But since you are, your apology is not accepted."


	3. Meet the Family

It was several days before Carlisle actually let Shane out of his bed for more than a few short minutes at a time. During those days he had only been visited by the doctor and, to Shane's fury, Renesmee. He knew that other people lived there, he had heard them speaking on occasion, but thus far none of them had stopped in to see him. He had asked Carlisle about this, fully intending on reading the thoughts on the matter, but the doctor had immediately changed the subject. Not a single thought had entered his mind, or if it had Shane had been too slow to read it.

That morning though, when Carlisle came into his room with a smile on his face Shane gave a happy sigh. "Finally, I can get some exercise." He said, sitting up slowly in his bed and wincing slightly. His body was still extraordinarily sore, especially his neck, but he was moving much easier now. His legs and arms were readily responding to his commands and walking was actually possible now. Shane put his legs over the side of the bed and slowly got to his feet. Carlisle appeared next to him, seemingly out of thin air. Getting used to the vampire's startling speed had taken some time. The foreignness of their thoughts was another.

"Take it carefully." Carlisle warned, offering his cold arm for support. "If you ever feel like you need to sit down lean on me."

"I'll be fine." Shane said certainly, testing his legs. They groaned in protest but they did not give out beneath him. "Where are we going?"

"I rather thought that it was time for you to meet my family." Carlisle said, surprising Shane. "You have been here for quite some time. Besides, they are rather eager to meet you."

Shane's eyes narrowed and he touched a hand to the bandages on his neck. Carlisle caught the movement and laughed softly. "Don't worry," He said, patting the air reassuringly. "You are safe here. What happened with Renesmee was… it was not like her. I can assume that you understand that?"

Shane nodded. He could. He had read just how badly Renesmee craved his blood and how delicious he smelled to her. He also understood just how much it had taken for Renesmee to stop draining him halfway through the ordeal. Allowing Shane to live had taken more than just restraint, it had taken self-deprivation. On top of that by allowing him to live she had effectively exposed her family for what it really was. Killing Shane would have been the simplest and fastest way to protect the ones she loved so much. But she hadn't. Even though she had nearly killed him, should have killed him, Shane grudgingly had to admit his gratefulness for her actions. That being said he was still a long way from forgiving her for biting him. Explaining the scars that would undoubtedly be on his neck to his parents whenever they got back from assignment would not be easy. They would demand an explanation and he would have to lie to them. He hated lying to them, particularly since he was an awful liar. _I guess I could always say that I got into an accident, like Carlisle is telling everyone._ Shane thought with an inward dry chuckle. _It was certainly an accident that I was attacked. It's… not entirely lying._

The rest of the house was just as bright as his room had been, nothing but bright colors and exquisite paintings adorned the walls. They passed a massive wooden case filled with graduation caps and Shane raised an eyebrow at it. Carlisle glanced back having expected some reaction and smiled slightly. "It's a good way of reminding ourselves." He shrugged. "My children sort of see it like an ongoing joke."

"Going to school this much is no joke." Shane muttered. Carlisle simply smiled in response. "So why do they want to meet me?"

"I think it would be better if they explained themselves." Carlisle laughed softly. "You and Renesmee aren't the only ones with gifts."

The stairs were difficult for Shane and Carlisle picked up on that rather quickly. He offered his arm for support and Shane gratefully grabbed hold. The doctor's skin was cold as always and his skin was as hard as a rock. Harder probably. After they traversed the stairs Carlisle led them to a living room of sorts, complete with leather seats and couches. Sitting on these couches were what Shane would have guessed to be a supermodel collection. They were as still as statues, watching him with curious eyes as he entered the room. They were all just as pale as Carlisle, and they seemed just as foreign. Renesmee was sitting on the edge of one of the leather couches, right beside the only other person in the room who did not seem to fit. He was Native American, and he seemed human at first glance, but Shane could somehow tell he was not without even looking at his mind.

"So you are Shane!" One of the girls said, bouncing up from where she had been sitting and darting across the room to stand in front of Shane. He blinked and took an involuntary step back but she pulled him into a hug and then released him just as quickly. "You smell like the ocean, no wonder Nessie likes you so much! Don't worry, you and I will get along very well."

"Uh, sure." Shane said, thrown by her enthusiasm.

"Alice." One of the other girls said with an eye roll. Shane ran his eyes over her face and blinked. She looked extraordinarily similar to Renesmee… as did the man who sat on her right. "Don't try to scare him away already."

"Oh, he's not scared." The man on Bella's right laughed quietly. Shane frowned and looked into his thought. He immediately wished he hadn't. The thoughts of everyone in the room, his own included, surged into his head and he blinked in confusion. He retreated from Edward's mind, but he took with him those thoughts and the names of everyone in the room. Edward seemed amused by this and rolled his eyes like his wife had only seconds before. "So you can read minds too?" He asked interestedly.

Emmett groaned and shook his head. "Great, just what we need. Someone else who can read minds."

"I can't read minds like Edward." Shane protested mildly, crossing his arms. "I can't… he can read everyone at once. I can only read one person at a time… I think. I haven't worked out all the details of it just yet."

"Well, we can help out with that." Edward offered, smiling at him. He tapped the side of his head and winced. "It'd be nice to have someone else who can sympathize with me."

"Why are you inviting him in?" Rosalie demanded, glaring at Shane. "We know what happened last time that a human was brought in on our secret."

"Yes, we added two members to our family." Carlisle reminded her, his voice firm. "He is already aware of our secret, and Alice has not seen a future in which he reveals it to anyone."

"It's true." Alice chirped up. "He won't tell anyone. Right Shane?"

"Like anyone would believe me if I told them that vampires lived in the old Franklin mansion." Shane shrugged one shoulder as he gazed around the room. "Although it's not that old anymore. How did you clean it up this fast? I was just here last month. It was falling apart."

"You would be surprised what we can do if we actually try." Emmett said confidently, flexing his bicep. "This wasn't even a challenge."

Shane's eyes narrowed and Edward groaned. At the same time Alice sighed and ran a hand down her face. "What's up?" Jacob asked, glancing between the two of them.

"Emmett and Shane are going to have quite the rivalry." Edward said tiredly. "They are equally competitive."

The two in question glanced at each other and smiled confidently, certain that they were each the superior of the two. "He's a human." Emmett scoffed.

"Which will make it so much better when I beat you." Shane countered.

The room exploded into laughter, with even Rosalie joining in, and after a moment Shane echoed the mirth. "So you guys went to school today, right?" He asked after the moment of levity had subsided. "What'd you think?"

"As if you didn't already know." Renesmee chuckled. He ignored her and waited for someone to answer. Edward's eyes grew distant for a moment but they regained their focus. Shane wanted to look into his thoughts but he knew that such an action was not wise. That many thoughts at one time could easily overwhelm him, like they nearly had minutes ago. Alice seemed to be just as unwise, her future sight just as overpowering.

"You have a lot of people who are pissed at you." Jacob remarked. "Something about not being there to help them in the championship?"

Shane groaned and shook his head. "Damn, I forgot. If I'm not there they are going to get obliterated."

"Let me guess, you've been using your ability to look into the other team's strategy?" Jasper asked, his quiet voice forcing Shane to strain his ears. "Some might say that is cheating."

"Yeah well, if you aren't cheating you aren't trying." Shane shrugged, but he echoed Jasper's thought. Using his power in such a way had never sat well with him after all.

"I like this guy." Emmett laughed.


	4. Return

True to his word Carlisle allowed Shane to leave their house when he was adequately satisfied that he would be able to manage well enough on his own. Unfortunately, this development did not take place until two days _after_ the state championship game. It was Emmett who dropped him off at his house, the two enjoying a lengthy conversation about his jeep while the vampire had driven. Shane had, predictably, protested this but Emmett had laughed and told him to get in the passenger's seat. That had effectively ended all conversation as Shane, after spending several days with them, was acutely aware that he was in no way going to be able to force Emmett to move out of the way.

"Take it easy, alright?" Emmett had said, parking the jeep and stepping out. "Carlisle would flip if he heard you were doing something that could reopen your wound."

"For sure." Shane agreed. Emmett surprised him by extending his fist and smiling. Shane grinned back and bumped his fist against the vampire's own. "Guessing I will see you around?"

"Uh, yeah, you could say that." Emmett said mysteriously. He waved and disappeared, running through the forest in a blur.

Though he had spent several days with them, reading their minds and witnessing their physical feats, it still amazed him at how absolutely ridiculous their speed truly was. He turned away from where the vampire had been standing and observed his house. Nothing had changed, but it still felt terribly mundane. He supposed that spending so much time with the extraordinary made the ordinary feel even more so than normal. He checked his mailbox, grabbing the armful of mail that had accumulated and taking it inside, looking through the mail. He tossed aside the junk and set the bills in a small pile. With his parents gone so often they left it on him to pay the bills and keep the house in order.

It was rather late in the day and his recovery left him still very tired, which left the amount of chores he could catch up on minimal. He dusted off the kitchen and dining room, did some laundry, and then passed out on his couch like he normally did with the TV on.

He was awoken by the sound of someone banging on his front door, very hard. He groaned as he sat up, glad that his wound did not pain him very badly, and got slowly to his feet. He glanced down at his pajama pants and white T-shirt, shrugging. If someone was visiting this early he doubted it really mattered what he was wearing. It was his house after all. He made his way to the front door, noticing that the knocking stopped the second his feet had hit the floor. He stifled a yawn as he opened the door, blinking and taking a step back when he saw who it was that was knocking. "Morning!" Renesmee said brightly, stepping past him and into the house with inhuman speed. "You aren't even dressed yet?"

"No, please, come in." Shane said, frowning at the now vacant entrance. "I insist. Really, it is no trouble."

"Oh, well thank you very much." Renesmee called from somewhere in the living room. "Nice of you."

"Did you need something, or did you just come here to wake me up?" Shane asked resignedly, not bothering to raise his voice as he knew perfectly well that she could hear him. He didn't bother to read her mind, he was fairly certain that he would figure out the reason for her intrusion soon enough.

"A little of both."Renesmee said, lounging on his couch. "It _is_ a school day after all. I thought I would offer you a ride, and I wasn't sure you would wake up on time."

"I can drive myself." Shane said stiffly, disappearing into his bedroom to get dressed. "I don't need you and your family driving me all over the place all the time."

"Dad-, sorry I have to use his name at school, Edward said that you would argue." Renesmee called as Shane pulled a black shirt over his head. "He also said to be persuasive."

"Have fun with that." Shane grumbled, opening the door as he ran a comb through his hair. "Look, it's my first day back. If you are worried about what you did and are trying to make up for it, don't worry about it. All is forgiven, mostly. You don't need to chauffeur me around."

"I'll just follow you if you don't let me drive." Renesmee threatened.

"Go ahead," Shane shrugged. "Doesn't bother me. Although now that I think about it where is Jacob at?"

"They all went ahead to school already, I just wanted to check on you." Renesmee shrugged. Shane blinked as she was then standing before him, one hand on her hip. "Look, if you don't want me to drive you fine. At least let me hitch a ride with you. I ran here."

"Hold up, I thought you said you were going to drive me?" Shane asked, one eyebrow raised. "What were you planning on doing?"

"Running back to the house and grabbing one of the cars." Renesmee said, stating the words like they were obvious. "I was pretty sure you wouldn't agree to let me drive you so I didn't bother wasting the gas."

Scratching his head he said, "Well, that makes at least some sense." He said uncertainly. He blew out a sigh and checked his pockets for his keys, suddenly frowning. "Problem: Emmett still has my keys…." His voice trailed away as he was suddenly aware of his key ring hanging from Renesmee's fingertip.

"He kept them to make sure you didn't do anything stupid." She explained, tossing them to him. "It worked. So when are we leaving?"

Sevan checked the clock on the wall and shrugged. "Probably right now." He said striding past Renesmee and towards the still open front door. "I probably should get there early to get all of the assignments I missed. I must have a ton."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Renesmee said innocently. As Shane got into his jeep he shot her a questioning look and she continued, "We, erm, we _may_ have been collecting your work for you."

Shane frowned as he turned the key and shifted the jeep into reverse. "Uh, where is it then?"

"Carlisle didn't want you to stress yourself while you were healing." Renesmee said innocently. "You had enough going on, what with the house full of vampires thing. So, we kind of stole it. And then completed it for you. Don't worry, we did just well enough to keep your grades where they were."

"Uh, thanks?" Sevan said, contemplating this. "I'll still have to catch up though. Trig won't be easy."

He pulled onto the main road that would take them to the high school and accelerated quickly, the jeep humming smoothly. "So, what classes do you guys take?"

Renesmee was quiet, guiltily tugging on her shirt. Her silence was suspicious in the extreme. After a few minutes she hesitantly said, "You have to promise not to be mad, okay?"

"What did you do?" Shane asked, glancing away from the road to shoot her a look with eyes narrowed.

"Eyes on the road." Renesmee responded. "And… I may have taken most of the same classes that you did."

"Why would you do that?" He asked exasperatedly, not entirely surprised by this. He had heard the whispers of such an idea among the vampires' minds when they had thought he wasn't listening. "I get that you feel guilty about nearly draining me, but I am alive. If you had killed me, yeah, then I would have been a bit pissed. But I'm not mad about you losing control. It happens."

"I don't get you." Renesmee said, suddenly annoyed. "I really don't. Most humans would still be freaking out over nearly dying, but you seem…. Okay with it."

"I'm not okay with dying." Shane said dryly, rolling his eyes. "I promise you that. But I've seen your mind. You are so upset with yourself over losing it like you did you can barely stand it. Also, my favorite color is blue. Not sure why you are worried about that though."

"You are reading my mind?" Renesmee asked, annoyed. "That's rude."

"Your dad can read minds." Shane said dryly, pulling into the school's parking lot and taking the closest one to the school. "You have exactly zero room to say that."

"He can't turn it off." She snapped back, getting out of the car and slamming the door a bit harder than necessary. "You can. You don't have an excuse."

"Don't need one." Shane answered, shouldering his backpack and striding towards the school. "Don't want one. I don't remember you ever asking someone if you can use your power."

"That's different." She insisted, keeping pace with him. "I _give_ thoughts, you take them. Completely different thing."

"If you say so." Shane said, opening the door for her to slip through out of sheer habit. "Were you planning on following me all day, or can I go to my locker alone?"

"I might." She said, raising her nose defiantly. "And you-."

"Can't stop you." Shane finished the sentence. "Yeah, I got it. But I can ignore you."

"Fine." She muttered, walking ahead of him. Her next words were clearly just for him as they were thoughts. _See you in class. Don't get into trouble._

Shane rolled his eyes and headed for the main office. He checked in there with the secretary and ensured that his time healing was not going to affect his attendance. When he was assured that it wouldn't he thanked her, noting the way that her eyes constantly darted to the wound at his throat. He had not thought about it, but he decided that going with the story of a shark attack or wild dog would be the most apt. He made his way to his locker and quickly spun the dial, entering his combination. The first bell rang overhead, causing him to glance up only momentarily. He stored some of his unnecessary books in the space before closing it with a resigned sigh.

It had already begun, the whispers of the angry students. All of the thoughts directed at him. They may not have liked him, but many were aware that he had some sort of special talent that helped the team to win games. Apparently his being in dire medical condition was not reason enough for them to forgive his absence and their subsequent shaming in the state championship. He had not checked the score, but the numbers were running through every mind he checked. 87-0. They had been beaten to the point that the old record for a shutout had been eclipsed entirely.

He closed the locker with a sense of finality just as someone behind him barked, "Hey Shane!" It was not hard to recognize the voice.

"Hey Gray." Shane said, switching his mind under review to Grayson. Unfortunately he was not quite quick enough to avoid what came next. Grayson's mind was filled to the brim with rage, the very sight of Shane acting so calm setting his blood to boiling.

Grayson's fist connected solidly with Shane's cheek and sent him crashing against the lockers, sliding to the ground. The force of the punch violently twisted his neck and he felt a slight pain as the stitches strained. A sudden warmth began to seep down his neck and he groaned when he realized that the wound had been reopened. He spit out blood from where his teeth had cut into his cheek and was promptly hauled to his feet by two sets of arms, neither of which belonged to Grayson unfortunately. They belonged instead to two other members of the team, their minds filled with just as much hatred and anger as Grayson's. "You missed the game." Grayson spat. Launching another punch into Shane's stomach this time, doubling the captive man over. The spectacle had assembled quite a crowd, all of them clearly siding with the aggressors. A few of them even shouted for Grayson to move aside so that they could have a few shots. "You missed the game you son of a bitch! We got _embarrassed_ because of you!"

"Sorry, I was busy getting attacked." Shane gasped, spitting out another mouthful of blood. "But, I am sorry that I couldn't drag myself to your stupid game!"

The next punch connected with his nose, his captives holding him just loosely enough for the back of his head to crack against the lockers due to the force of the blow. "That's enough." A bored voice said over the commotion. The crowd quickly dispersed just as the principal appeared, his expression just as bland as his tone. Shane did not expect for him to lend him any favors. He had been just as fixated as the school's looming state title as any student. A quick look into his mind had Shane groaning internally. He was only interfering out of his sense of duty, not because he actually wanted the boys to start. He barely glanced at Shane as the boys holding him released his arms and let him slide down the lockers. "Shane it appears that you fell. Go to the nurse's office and get yourself looked at. The rest of you go to class."

And so they left him there, bleeding from his neck wound, his nose, and from the inner side of his cheek. The other students passed him by without another look as he slowly got to his feet, his head spinning and his shirt collar quickly becoming drenched with his blood.


	5. Blood

"So, how did it go?" Emmett asked, leaning against his car as Renesmee emerged from the school, an annoyed expression on her face. "Are you and your dessert best friends now?"

"Emmett, cut it out." Alice snapped, glaring at him. She looked sympathetically to Nessie and placed an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about Emmett, he's just an ass. Shane will come around, I promise. I've seen it."

"Yeah, but it's just…" Nessie sighed dismally and shook her head.

"Alice is right." Jacob offered, patting her on the back. "He's probably just coping with all of this. I mean, when I learned about being a wolf and all I sort of freaked out too."

"That's a word for it." Bella said, rolling her eyes. "You completely ignored me for weeks."

"Not my fault." Jacob countered. "I was…. Adjusting."

"You were being an ass." Edward said matter-of-factly. "But that doesn't mean you were wrong to take that time. The only one here who didn't go through the whole adjustment phase was…"

Edward and Jacob exchanged knowing looks before looking accusingly to Bella who had the grace to look slightly abashed. "He's fine." Jasper said reassuringly, his quiet mannerisms filled with confidence. "He is not angry with you, or any of us for that matter. It is like Jacob and Edward said, he is just coping."

"If you say so…" Nessie sighed and opened her mouth to speak again, drawing in a breath in the process.

The change that overtook her was instant and total. Only because of Alice's ability to see the future, Edward's mind reading, and Jasper's ability to read emotions allowed them to react in time. "No!" Edward said, lurching forward just as Nessie whirled around, her eyes shining with a primal hunger. "Emmett, grab her!"

The large vampire was there in less than an instant, his arms wrapping around Nessie's shoulders and effectively immobilizing her. "What's going on?" He demanded as Nessie thrashed wildly, a primal growl escaping her as her hands attempted to pry off Emmett's arms. "Nessie, come on, chill!"

"Alice!" Edward barked, jerking his head towards the school. "Go! Get him as far away from here as is necessary!"

"Bella, come on!" Alice said, grabbing the brown-haired vampire by the hand and towing her along. They rushed to the school, moving at a pace that any college track star would have been proud of.

"Edward, what's happening?" Jacob demanded, standing in front of Nessie and seizing her hands. "Nessie, come on! Calm down!"

"It's Shane." Edward said grimly, his eyes focused on one point as he listened intently to the minds of everyone around them. "Apparently since he wasn't at the school's game they lost, quite dismally in fact. Some of the students took exception to that and ambushed him. She is smelling his blood."

"I thought she was over this?" Jacob demanded, gritting his teeth as Nessie managed to loosen one hand and swipe her nails across his chest. "She was fine when Shane was at the house!"

"Shane wasn't bleeding then." Edward explained quickly. "The scent of his blood was covered up with bleach and other stuff like that. But this is fresh. It's driving her insane, we have to get her out of here before she does something we will all regret."

"I tell you, man." Emmett said, his teeth gritted as Nessie continued to struggle. "You and her, you really have bad luck when it comes to finding people with the scent."

"Yeah, you aren't wrong." Edward agreed wearily. "But there is nothing we can do for it now. Bella and Alice are taking Shane out of school for the day, and far away from here. Once Nessie has calmed down we need to think of something."

"Yeah, think of something to make Nessie _not_ want to drain this guy." Emmett barked out a laugh. "Well, it's not like we don't know the fix. Bite him. If he turns he won't make her want to drain him. If he dies, well, problem solved regardless."

"That's not funny, Emmett." Jasper said, not having moved from where he sat. His eyes were closed as he attempted to bring Nessie's hunger back under controllable levels. Unfortunately every time that he managed to bring it to heel she would take a breath and the process would begin anew. "I really wish that they would clean up the blood. Alice and Bella have him very far away now, the only thing there is the residual blood that he left behind, and his scent."

"Jacob?" Edward asked urgently, turning to the werewolf. "Can you go dilute the scent somehow?"

"Sure, I bet they have some bleach lying around in there." Jacob said, rushing inside.

"Nessie, listen to me!" Edward said, grabbing her hands and holding them tightly. "I know that it hurts, I know that you are trying to control yourself, but you have to try harder. Stop breathing, it helps a lot."

"I want him!" She wailed, her eyes as wild as any newborn. "He smells so _good_."

"Looks like Jake might have some competition." Emmett joked, winking at Edward as the other vampire scowled in disapproval. "Come on, that was funny."

Nessie apparently had taken Edward's words to heart and was no longer breathing, her chest still. "Don't talk." Edward advised. "Save your air, trust me. If you breathe before Jacob gets rid of the scent it will only end badly."

Far away, dozens of miles in fact, Bella and Alice came skidding to a halt in the middle of a clearing in the woods. Shane, who Alice had unceremoniously hoisted over one shoulder, was released and tumbled to the ground. His head was spinning from the sheer speed they had been traveling at and his legs and arms felt shaky. "What… the hell… was that?" He demanded, holding his head between his hands. "Why did… you… grab me?"

"Trust me, it was for your own good." Alice said.

Ordinarily Shane would have read the minds of the vampires, but in this case it just wasn't possible. He had tried to read Alice's mind before and the multiple futures she constantly saw had given him a case of extreme vertigo, and Bella seemed immune to having her mind read. Thus, he would have to rely on the information they gave him. "Well, if that's the case you can tell me why." Shane said, his head's spinning slowing to a crawl. "Or were you planning on kidnapping me and offering me no explanations?"

"How's your neck?" Bella asked, crouching down to inspect the bloodied bandages and collar of his shirt. He leaned away instinctively, all too well knowing how blood could trigger a feeding frenzy in vampires. A thought occurred to him, causing him to narrow his eyes. Bella had been reaching forward to better inspect the wound and paused when Shane leaned away. She smiled reassuringly, clearly following the same pattern his mind was on. "Don't worry, we didn't take you all the way out here to kill you."

"Oh, well, that makes kidnapping so much better." Shane said dryly, still watching warily as Bella slowly unwound the bandages from his neck. He winced when they pulled on his wound, watching them fall to the ground. "What's the verdict, doc?" He asked sarcastically, gathering his legs beneath him and glancing over curiously to where Alice stood at the edge of the clearing.

"You okay, Alice?" Bella asked, following Shane's line of vision. When Alice nodded in affirmation that she was okay Bella turned her attention back to Shane. "Don't worry, she's just staying away. It's easier for us if we don't breathe around blood."

"You seem to be doing alright." Shane observed. "Seriously, how does my neck look?"

"It looks like those guys who hit you opened up your wound again." Bella said uncertainly. She shrugged and added, "I'm not a doctor, I'm just guessing by how much blood is on your collar."

"I called Carlisle." Alice said, returning to the clearing quite unexpectedly. Shane blinked in surprise, he had not even noticed that she was gone. "He's on his way to us now. He's bringing a new shirt with him, so don't worry about that."

"I wasn't." Shane said, glancing down at the one he had been wearing. He was fairly certain that he would need to get rid of it. "But you still haven't told me why you abducted me."

"Because Renesmee smelled your blood." Bella told him, moving her hair out of her eyes in a single motion that was too fast for the human eye to track. "We had to get you as far away from her as it took for your blood to no longer drive her crazy."

"Not my fault." Shane shrugged. "I sort of expected this though. They were looking forward to being the first team to ever win a state championship from our school. That was probably nothing compared to what they have in store for me."

"You think they will do more than that?" Bella asked, horrified.

Shane glanced to Alice and she nodded in confirmation, sending worms of worry down his spine. "They're planning on destroying your jeep too." She said softly, "And that's only what they have decided on. They are still planning."

"Not my jeep." Shane said, anger replacing his worry. "It did nothing!"

"I don't think they really care." Alice said with a wince.

"I suppose that it was too much to hope that something like this didn't happen." Carlisle said, his hair shining in the mid-morning light. He strode into the clearing, having stopped moving at vampire speed at the outskirts. He held a green bag in one hand and a backpack in the other. "But, with my family's luck, I suppose that we got lucky that this was the extent of things."

"Sorry for causing you so much trouble." Shane said dryly, submitting to Carlisle's ministrations as the doctor pulled out a number of things from his bag.

Examining the wound, Carlisle poured a bottle of water to wash away some of the blood that had begun to coagulate. Shane winced and swore under his breath, causing Carlisle to smile in apology. "I should have warned you that may sting." He conceded, examining the cleared wound. "Hm. It seems that you only popped a few stitches. All things considered, it could have been much worse."

"What are we going to do, Carlisle?" Alice asked from across the clearing. She had raised her voice, something that was clearly for Shane's benefit as he was the only one without supernatural hearing. "We can't have something like this happen all the time, especially since Nessie took a bunch of the same classes as him."

"I am not sure." Carlisle admitted. "How did this happen?"

"He was attacked by some other students." Bella answered before Shane could speak. "Because he wasn't there to help them cheat and win the game."

"Easy with the 'c' word." Shane protested lightly, wincing as Carlisle dabbed something against his wound and caused it to smart.

"It's cheating." Bella said bluntly.

"It's not." Shane insisted, glaring at her. "And if it was, who cares? Not like anyone can prove it."

"To return to the matter at hand," Carlisle said, steering the conversation back on track. "I think you are right, Alice, we have to do something. Especially since I would assume that this will not be the end of this issue?"

"Probably not." Shane muttered, not liking the direction was taking. "Look, I appreciate the assist but I will be fine."

"As commendable as your bravado is, this issue affects more than just you." Carlisle told him frankly. "Should something like this take place, in a classroom for instance, where such prompt action could not be taken Nessie would risk exposing our kind. And that, for a number of reasons, simply cannot happen."

"I get it." Shane muttered, having tuned into the doctor's mind. He hated minds like Carlisle's. It was so pure and so without any ulterior motive it made it entirely difficult for him to come up with any real, feasible argument. "You are worried about the Volturri coming and destroying your family."

"Exactly." Carlisle nodded, clearly not at all upset about the intrusion into his thoughts. Perhaps living with Edward for so long made it a normal affair for him.

"So that's what we are going to do." Alice said brightly, suddenly becoming animated. "Ooh, I like it! It was always fun when Bella was over, and Rosalie doesn't hate him nearly as much as she hated you Bella!"

"Gee, thanks, Alice." Bella said dryly.

"So you agree with the idea?" Carlisle asked, his mind now moving too fast for Shane to do any more than pull disjointed fragments away. "And the others?"

"Edward, and probably Jacob, will argue at first but they will come around pretty quickly." Alice said, her eyes closed. "It will definitely make things easier all the way across the board."

"Well, that settles it then." Carlisle said, looking to Shane.

The human had closed his eyes in his attempt to keep pace with the vampire, but now that the thoughts had slowed he had no trouble following along. "No way." Shane said, shaking his head slowly. "Not a chance. I am so not moving in with you."

 **Hello everyone, Hallowed here. I would like to thank you for taking the time to read. I would also like to ask you to review as to what you think of 'Scent' and if you enjoy the direction that the story is taking. Thank you in advance.**

 **Cheers, Hallowed**


	6. Relocation

The repercussions of his not helping the team win the school's championship had been greatly underestimated by Shane. He had thought that the extent of the hatred and rage against him would be limited to the school alone, perhaps a few of the parents. But that apparently was not true. This point was driven home when he had driven to the local supermarket for his weekly grocery shopping trip and had been asked to leave by the manager, a man he had known for years. He had read his mind and the truth of the matter had been revealed to him. A quick survey of every other person he encountered revealed much the same thoughts. The entire town, people he had grown up with, could hardly stand the sight of him. There were, of course, a few exceptions, but for the most part everyone was in mutual agreement: he was a scourge on the town.

"You have got to be kidding me." Shane muttered, laying on his couch and staring up at the ceiling with a mixture of disgust and disbelief. It was not the first time he had uttered the words since laying down, and they seemed just as meaningless as the first time. "All of this, over a stupid game?"

It wasn't entirely unbelievable, small towns were famous for such things. This reputation was also why Shane knew that this was not going to go away any time soon, if at ever. Small towns thrived on the drama that was thrown around like candy at a parade. Something like this, someone who was universally hated, was undoubtedly going to be the talk of the town for quite some time. By the time the rumor mill had done its work, even the folks who had no vested interest in the school or its teams would be hating him and wishing him ill. The first effects of the event had already begun. Shane had turned in an assignment to his teacher, a simple three page written paper, and thought nothing of it until he had received a zero on the assignment. When asked why, the teacher had shrugged and fixed him with a malicious smile saying; "It just wasn't any good." This, he knew with a feeling of dread, was not going to be the worst of it either. Things were just getting started.

A slight breeze behind him signaled him to the presence of someone in the room with him, though their entrance had been entirely silent. "Can I help you?" He asked, not bothering to sit up.

"I had hoped you would reconsider our offer." Carlisle told him hesitantly, coming to stand before Shane. "Edward has been listening to the thoughts of the people around your town, and I am afraid that-."

"Yeah, no one is too happy with me right now." Shane said, affecting an unconcerned aura. He glanced over at the doctor and shrugged his shoulders. "It happens, unfortunately. But there isn't much I can do, now is there?"

"Edward tells me that your teachers may have begun to take out their frustration over the loss on you." Carlisle said delicately, taking a seat in the chair opposite to Shane. "Something about getting a zero on an assignment that you certainly did not earn?"

"Yeah, that happens too." Shane said, shrugging one more. "But there isn't much I can do about it, and moving in with you won't really help will it? Unless one of you can erase memories, I doubt there is anything you can do to really help me here."

"Perhaps not, but at the same time it will be better for you than being constantly alone." Carlisle told him earnestly. "You have even taken to eating your lunch alone, Edward tells me that-."

"Look, do you _really_ think it is safer for me in a house full of vampires than it is being alone?" Shane said, sitting up and fully facing Carlisle. He had no desire at all to hear what it was that Edward had heard in his thoughts. "I may be alone, I may be hated, but none of them will try to drain me if I get a papercut."

"I assure you that we will take the greatest of care in order to keep you safe." Carlisle implored. "Please, Shane, give us at least a chance. That confrontation between you and your fellow students won't be the end of this and I would prefer it if you were somewhere that we could keep an eye on you, at least until the majority of the animosity has been cleared away. Were they to do something drastic while you were inside the confines of your house, there would be little we could do to stop them."

"You know, I have read a lot of minds." Shane said after a moment's contemplation. "But yours, by far, is the kindest. You really are worried about me."

It was touching, in an odd way, but touching nonetheless. Since Shane's parents were gone ninety-nine percent of the time he had grown accustomed to being the only one who gave a damn about himself. To an extent he supposed that was why he had tried so hard to be of use to the football team, no matter how much the cheating may have grinded on his conscience. It was nice to have someone who, at least in part, seemed to give a damn about whether you lived or not. It was also ironic that these people who did seem to care were more than capable to end him at any moment.

"Of course." Carlisle smiled. "The family has taken quite a liking to you, even Rosalie which is rare in any capacity."

"Just until the smoke clears on this." Shane said warningly, rising from his seat on the couch. "Once everyone stops wanting to kill me, I will move out. Fair?"

"Of course." Carlisle smiled at him winningly and extended his hand. Shane grasped the hand in a handshake, surprised as always by the cold. "Although if you want to remain longer, I am sure that no one will mind."

"Alice?" Shane sighed, shaking his head when Carlisle nodded somewhat hesitantly. "I bet she knew I would agree to this, too."

"Her ability is very helpful at times." Carlisle smiled. "Now, shall we?"

"Let me pack a bag first." Shane said, glancing to his bedroom.

"I am… afraid that is not entirely necessary." Carlisle winced sympathetically as Shane read his mind and his mouth dropped open. "I do apologize."

"You have to be joking." He said, his jaw still hanging slightly open. "Seriously?"

The issue in question was that Alice had preemptively gone shopping for him and had bought him what seemed like an entire clothing store of high-end clothes and shoes. From what Shane had read it had taken quite a bit of convincing on the family's part for her to not buy him a new car to match his wardrobe.

"Alice has a rather large infatuation with fashion." Carlisle told him sympathetically. "And since she knew you were coming, she has been ecstatic about having someone around who she can play 'dress-up' as Emmett so eloquently put it. Renesmee is quite relieved, she has been the subject of Alice's efforts for most of her life."

"And she wants me around to pass the torch." Shane said sourly, mentally noting this for future reference in blackmailing purposes. He had the strange idea that it would most likely be helpful. "Fine, whatever. When do we leave?"

"Right now, if you wish." Carlisle said delicately. "They are already awaiting your arrival."

"Fine, let's get this over with." Shane muttered, leading the way out of his front door. He grabbed the key ring off of the kitchen counter and waited for Carlisle to exit before locking the door behind him and turning to his jeep. He frowned and glanced to Carlisle, a muscle in his jaw working as he saw that his driveway was empty save for Carlisle's car. "Carlisle?"

"I am sorry." The blonde vampire told him sympathetically.

Ignoring this, Shane asked; "Where's my jeep?"

"I, erm, that is, I believe that Emmett and Jasper may have stolen it." Carlisle winced. "Actually, Emmett's exact words were something to the effect of 'It was not cool enough'. What that means though, I am afraid I have no idea."

"How did they steal it?" Shane demanded, jingling the key ring in protest. "I have they only key for it right here."

"Emmett spent a significant amount of time learning how to hotwire vehicles." Carlisle shrugged and strode over to his car. "I hope that you aren't too upset."

"They stole my jeep!" Shane said hotly, striding into the passenger door and climbing in. "How would I not be upset!? I bought that myself! I've been keeping it healthy and happy for years now! What part of 'stole' was supposed to make me okay with that?"

"If I may be a bit blunt, I would get rather used to their antics." Carlisle said, chuckling lightly as the car whipped onto the road and shot down the highway. "Something like this is actually rather common for Emmett. And then there is the matter of your impending rivalry. Alice has seen that you two will butt heads rather often, and over the most trivial of things."

"Fine, fine." Shane said.

They rode in silence the rest of the way, Shane wondering about just what he had gotten himself into.


	7. New Home

"You didn't." Shane said with a sigh and a shake of his head. He was referring to his jeep, which Emmett had stolen. The large vampire had evidently took the task he had set himself to heart after claiming that the vehicle was not cool enough. It was barely recognizable, Emmett had completely redone the vehicle. He had placed it on a lift kit, repainted it with a glossy black paint, and from Shane saw had redone the interior as well. "That was _my_ jeep! I liked it!"

"No need to thank me." Emmett said, arriving in front of the jeep in a blur. He leaned on it with one arm nonchalantly and twirled Shane's key ring with one finger. "Actually, you can if you want. Tell me this doesn't say 'badass'."

"I don't care what it says." Shane fumed, marching over to snatch his keys from the vampire. Emmett laughed and stepped easily out of reach, stowing the keys in his pocket. "Give them to me!"

"Sorry, I don't think you should be getting in and out of a jeep that high in your current state." Emmett said, attempting a sympathetic look.

"What's up?" Jacob asked, stepping out from the house. "Oh, Shane. Pretty sweet, right? Everything you wanted?"

"I didn't want this!" Shane snarled, punching the grill of the jeep in rage. "You ruined my jeep!"

"Wait, I thought you said that he asked us to do this?" Jacob asked Emmett, not following. A light of comprehension dawned in his eyes and he groaned. "Dude, seriously? I only helped because you said he asked us to and I wanted to even up with him."

"Oh, he will get over it." Emmett chuckled, still clearly enjoying Shane's anger. "Once he calms down he will see that his old jeep was trash."

"It was not!" Shane roared, taking personal offense to the statement. "That jeep had character!"

"Oh, give me a break." Emmett rolled his eyes, turning back to the house. He moved to the door in a blur and turned around and saying before going inside, "Come on in, everyone wants to say hi."

"I do apologize, again." Carlisle offered, stepping out from the house's other door. Shane did a double take, he had not realized Carlisle had gone inside. He had just been standing beside him. "But I would also recommend getting used to such things."

"We'll see." Shane muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets and following them inside. Jacob patted him consolingly on the shoulder.

"I still have all your jeep's old stuff." The werewolf muttered, "I can put it back to how it was, mostly. A few things aren't going to be fixable."

"Yeah, I threw them out." Emmett said, not bothering to turn his head from where he sat on the couch watching the game. "Just to avoid that."

The Cullens were grouped into the living room every eye, with the exception of Emmett, on Shane as he walked inside. "Well, Shane." Carlisle said, gesturing expansively with one arm. "I realize this may be a little redundant in saying, but, welcome home."

"Don't worry." Alice said, appearing beside him and throwing an arm around his shoulder. "I will totally teach you how to dress. Ooh! We can even do matching days!"

"Alice." Edward said chidingly, shooting Shane an apologetic gesture. "Give him some space. Smother him after he's had time to adjust."

"Fine." Alice said, drawing out the word like it was a chore. She stepped back and Jasper took her place, standing in front of Shane with a curious expression.

"Edward tells me you enjoy chess." He said, his voice quiet to the point Shane had to strain his eyes to hear the vampire. "I would enjoy playing a game some time, if you'd like."

"Uh, sure." Shane said uncertainly. "Thanks for, uh, taking me in for a little while I guess."

"Oh, it's no problem at all." Bella said, smiling at him earnestly. "Honestly, it will be nice to talk to someone who is human. Everyone around here forgets what it's like, so it can be sort of hard to explain things."

"Glad to be of help." Shane muttered, wishing that he could somehow melt into the floor. He despised being the center of attention, and being stared at by vampires that could literally see everything-."

"I would say you should get used to that." Edward offered, his arm around Bella's waist. "It won't really get easier."

Shane glowered at him in response. "So, am I staying in the same room I was in before?"

"Of course not!" Esme said, the idea apparently offending her greatly. "We would never make you stay in such a small room."

 _Small?_ Shane repeated to himself, resisting the urge to raise an eyebrow and vocalize the question. The room he had stayed in while he healed was far and wide bigger than the living room, kitchen, and porch in his old house. "Erm, alright, where am I going then?"

"Follow me!" Renesmee said, darting forward and grabbing his hand. She pulled him forward gently, quite literally dragging him a few feet when he instinctively dug his heels in. She turned to him and gave him a reproachful look like his reluctance to follow her was somehow his fault and totally unacceptable. "Come on!" She said, pulling him past the others and up the stairs.

Unable to actually pull himself away, Shane followed her somewhat hesitantly. She led him up two flights of stairs to a long hallway with several doors. She stopped at the first and pulled him through. "I really hope this isn't my room." He said, observing the room's yellow and white color scheme. The walls were adorned with books and music of an extremely wide variety and languages. There was a computer in the corner, with a large amount of wires coming out of it.

"Don't worry, this is my room." Renesmee said, releasing his hand and taking a seat on the bed. "Your room is across the hall. Esme's idea. She thinks it will be good for me to have some close to my age around."

"Hm." Shane turned around and pushed open the door she had indicated. The first thing he saw when he opened the door immediately made him smile. "Hey there, old soldier, I was wondering what happened to you." He was referring to his surfboard, the one he was certain Renesmee had broken the night she had attacked him. It was lying across his bed, his room clearly an ocean themed one. Several paintings of the sea and sand were on his wall, and the vampires had somehow managed to make his room smell like the ocean as well. Crossing the room to his surfboard he picked it up gently and ran his hand down the side, his eyes closed. It was small, but he definitely felt where a large crack had broken the board in half. Shane doubted anyone else would have been able to pick it out, he only could because it was his board, and it had been beautifully repaired. Propping it into the corner he paused to take stock of the room he would be staying in for some time, appreciating the effort that the vampires had gone through to make it homey. His backpack was in one corner, a desk with what he assumed was a top of the line laptop in the other. His bed had a blue themed spread, and several pillows with shells embroidered on them as well. Further examination revealed that he had his own bathroom, fully equipped, and a walk in closet that he did not want to further explore. He had taken one look, seen a very expensive suit, and immediately had closed the doors.

"Well, what do you think?" Renesmee asked once the doors to the closet had shut. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, appearing ready to flee at a moment's notice. "Do you like it?"

"It's… nice." Shane said finally. He sighed and favored her with a small smile. "Thanks for fixing my surfboard. You did a great job."

"How did..?" She asked. She stopped when Shane sent her a knowing look and tapped his temple with two fingers. "Of course. I keep forgetting you can read minds."

"Comes in handy." He answered, grabbing his backpack and searching through it. He smiled when he pulled out a picture of his family, setting the photo on top of his desk where he could easily see it.

Curious to her core, Renesmee darted over to peer at the photo. "This is your family?"

"Mom and Dad." Shane nodded, looking through his backpack again for the paper his teacher had given him a zero on. He was determined to see what they had marked off and avoid the mistake for the future, though he doubted it would matter. A perfect paper could be turned in, but if it was by him it would still receive a failing grade. "That was a few years ago, right before they went on a trip to the Congo."

"You look happy." Renesmee said softly. "Like… really happy."

"Should I not?" Shane asked, not following her train of thought.

"No, it's just…" She struggled for the right words which, to Shane, was quite amusing as he listened to her thoughts. In the end she threw up her hands and glared at him, waiting for him to answer her unspoken question.

"I guess I'm not a really smiley person." Shane shrugged, reading through the paper's comments and growing more annoyed by the second. The teacher hadn't even critiqued him, not really, instead he had simply bashed every sentence and paragraph. "And this isn't helping."

"Can I read?" Renesmee asked, extending a hand.

"You already have." Shane said moodily, crumpling the paper into a ball and tossing it into the trashcan. "Ugh, this is going to be a long year."

"You know, Carlisle is wondering about that." Renesmee said, shifting closer to Shane on the bed. "What are you going to do? If the teacher all fail you, how are you going to pass the year? You have two more years of this before you can graduate."

"Not sure." Shane admitted, laying heavily back onto the bed and discovering something interesting. He was laying on a water bed. He stared up at the ceiling as he considered the question. "As long as enough of the tests and quizzes are multiple choice, I technically can't fail. I doubt I can keep my grades where they are, but I won't fail out."

"And if they mark you off even because of that?" Nessie's worry was evident in her tone. "What then?"

"I guess I'll have to worry about that when it happens." He said, pushing up into a sitting position and staring out the window to the ocean in the distance. He pursed his lips wistfully and glanced over to his surfboard, considering how best he could get away with the plan that was formulating in his mind.

"I wouldn't." Edward's soft voice came from Shane's doorway. "Carlisle wants you to wait to do anything like that until _after_ your stitches are out. That way you don't accidentally reopen them. Again."

"That last time was not my fault." Shane snapped venomously, glaring at Edward, unjustifiably anger with him for keeping him from surfing. "And you can't keep me from surfing."

"Technically, I can." Edward corrected, moving to stand in front of him in less than a blink of an eye just to prove his point. "Besides, today is special. Our extended family heard about you, thanks to Rosalie, and wants to meet you."

"Oh, are the Denalis coming?" Renesmee asked, this apparently news to her. "Is Garrett coming?"

"I wouldn't doubt it." Edward laughed quietly. "He loves anything interesting and, well, you qualify Shane."

 **Hello Readers, Hallowed here. I would like to thank you for reading, and ask you if you could leave a review as to what you think of the story thus far. Thank you in advance, and cheers.**


	8. Beach Day

Shane prided himself on only a few things and being sneaky had always been one of them. Even from a young age he had always been able to get away from situations and people that he simply did not want to be in. To his intense discomfort, this trait seemed to evaporate the second he stepped foot into the Cullens' household. After being told about the impending visit with the Denali coven he immediately decided that he wanted nothing to do with such a meeting, much less being displayed like a trophy, and sought a way out of the situation. It had only been an hour since Edward had informed him of the meeting and yet he had already enacted a plan to escape. Emmett had left his keys on the kitchen table and Shane swiped them as he wandered through the house under the pretense of getting his bearings. At first Renesmee had followed him like a lost puppy but, after a particularly venomous glare and rub at where the stitches were in his neck, she let him be. The other vampires in the house were nowhere to be seen, which gave Shane a strange feeling he couldn't place.

He slipped quietly out of the house when he was absolutely sure that no one was around to stop him and made his way quietly to his jeep. He grimaced at what Emmett had transformed it into and sighed, climbing into it. He took a deep breath and turned the key, the machine roaring to life. Shane hammered it into reverse and the tires spun for a brief moment before getting traction. He tore out of the driveway, surprised and somewhat wary that no one had stopped him, only to glance at the house in the rearview and seeing Renesmee smiling at him from the backseat. The shock of this was so severe he almost lost control of the vehicle, only just managing to regain control at the last possible moment.

He didn't even see Renesmee transition into the front seat, he simply looked to his right and saw that she was now sitting beside him with a stern look on her face. "You aren't supposed to be driving right now, you know that," she said, crossing her arms. "If you tear open your stitches again-."

"You'll drain me in less than ten seconds," Shane said flatly, controlling his breathing after the surprise of her presence wore off. He glanced sourly at her as he turned out of the Cullens' driveway and saw Emmett leaning casually on the mailbox with Shane's surfboard under one arm and a towel over his shoulder. Shane didn't even slow down, and Emmett grinned as he effortlessly leapt onto the jeep.

"Did you really think that you could get away from a house full of vampires?" Renesmee asked, clearly sulking over the comment regarding her thirst. "That wasn't too smart."

Emmett's laugh above them told Shane that he was listening to their conversation and that gave the human the resolve to not speak another word as they drove. The entire way to the beach was silent despite Renesmee's attempts at striking up a conversation. Unsurprisingly, when they arrived at Shane's formerly secret cove there was the rest of the Cullens talking and laughing with a group of vampires that Shane did not know. Instinctively he reached out with his mind but, to his annoyance, his probe seemed to bounce off an invisible wall. The answer to this conundrum was not long in coming when Bella glanced his way and smiled apologetically before shrugging and turning back to her conversation.

"So this is the new Cullen pet!" A voice said from directly outside Shane's door. Before he knew what was happening he was out of the jeep and being inspected by a wild looking male vampire. Less than a second later he was surrounded by a group of unfamiliar vampires, all of them looking at him with a great deal of interest. "And you say he reads minds somewhat like you, Edward?"

"Something like that," Edward laughed, undoubtedly reading the mounting confusion and wariness that was Shane's thoughts. "You know, Garrett, he can speak for himself."

"Yeah, but he seems a bit overwhelmed," Garrett said thoughtfully.

"Probably because you pulled him out of his vehicle before he knew what was happening," a blonde haired vampire, Shane briefly pulled the name Kate from one of the minds of the vampires as Bella no longer had her shield up, said. "You can't do that to humans, they like to feel like they are in control."

"Kate's right," Tanya piped up. "Even if he knows about vampires he probably isn't used to being manhandled so fast."

"Yes and _he_ is perfectly capable of speaking for himself," Shane snapped, glaring around at the vampires.

"Oooh, he's feisty!" Kate said delightedly. "He and Nessie are going to get along so well!"

"Not if I have something to say about it," Shane grumbled. The group broke into laughter and the sound was so melodic Shane even had to smile.

Carlisle slipped between the Denali coven and placed a comforting hand on Shane's shoulder. "Tanya, Kate, Garrett, Carmen, Eleazar, I would like you to meet our newest… erm… ward."

"The name's Shane, pleasure to meet all of you," he said, offering a hand warily. In the back of his mind he wondered about how he felt about being called a ward. That made it sound like he was incapable of handling things on his own and he took exception to that.

Garrett was the first to take his hand, shaking it eagerly. "Pleasure to meet you too," he said, thinking about making a wager to Kate about how long it would be until Shane was either a vampire or dead.

"My money is on never," Shane said, smiling at the surprised look on Garrett's face.

Carmen was next, and Shane swore he detected the traces of an accent in her voice. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Shane." She said, smiling warmly at him. "Please, forgive us for Garrett. He is still quite new to this lifestyle and forgets some of the intricacies of dealing with humans."

"No offense taken," Shane laughed, glancing slyly at Garrett. The wild-looking vampire grinned back and his thoughts turned back to how Bella had been Turned.

The other introductions followed swiftly and Shane had quite the shock, literally, when he met Kate. He jumped and immediately extracted his hand, taking a step backward. The group howled in laughter and he shook his head ruefully, having been well and truly tricked. "Well, now that that's out of the way, how about we get this party started?" Emmett asked eagerly, returning with a massive armful of what appeared to be everything a group of vampires might need for a beach party.

Kate and Garrett whooped eagerly and took off for the water, quite literally vanishing from Shane's vision cartoon style. He assumed that they were wearing swimsuits under their normal clothes as the scraps came wafting gently back down to the earth. The other vampires rolled their eyes and grabbed whatever interested them from Emmett's assortment of things. Alice and Jasper grabbed what appeared to be a badminton set and put together a massive square. Emmett and Edward were setting up a large volleyball net and Bella was walking out what Shane assumed was the boundary lines.

Carlisle, Esme, Carmen, and Eleazar stayed by Shane's side and watched the other vampires with fondness in their eyes. "So, Shane, what's this Carlisle was telling me about your parents always being gone?" Carmen asked with genuine interest in her voice.

"They're photographers," Shane explained. "They're really good too. Always being set on one assignment or another. Since I started high school they have been gone a lot more than usual, but they always manage to make it back for important things like Christmas and such."

"You seem to be doing well, despite their absence," Eleazar observed.

Shane, uncomfortable with the subject, shrugged. "I mean, sink or swim."

Carlisle, sensing his discomfort, quickly changed the subject. "He does very well. Now, Eleazar, how are you finding having Garrett in your coven?"

"Trying, but wonderful at the same time," Eleazar laughed.

"He has been struggling at our diet, but he is attempting to adhere to it as best he can," Carmen added. "Luckily whenever he feels the urge to hunt outside of the vegetarian parameters he tends to go far, far away from our territory."

Carlisle looked to Shane, as thought to gauge whether or not this subject was bothering him, but Shane merely shrugged. He was under no delusions as to what the people surrounding him were, the pain at his neck were suitable reminders of that. He felt someone take his hand and saw Renesmee smiling eagerly at him with his surfboard under his arm. "Come on," she said eagerly, tugging at him. "Teach me how to surf!"

"Pass," Shane said, attempting to disengage himself from her iron grip. "I can't get my stitches wet. Or something like that."

"Actually, you are perfectly able to swim to your hearts' content," Carlisle input. "I'll simply need to check your wound after you exit the ocean to ensure that your stitches are holding well. There shouldn't be any issues."

Shane sent the golden-haired vampire a long suffering look as he was led away. Carlisle winked at him in encouragement and turned back to the two Denali vampires to continue a conversation. He shirked off his shirt as they approached the water, the water stinging briefly against his injury before settling against it. Together he and Renesmee paddled out to where the waves had just begun to form and he quickly outlined the finer points of surfing to her and that was how they spent the remainder of the day.

Night came before Shane was ready for it and he and Renesmee were called back to shore by Edward and the others. Suddenly aware of just how cold the water was, he suppressed a shiver and smiled genuinely at Nessie. He had thoroughly enjoyed being back in the water and, despite the fact that he was reminded of how much she wanted his blood every time he peered into her mind, enjoyed Nessie's company.

"Where did the Denali coven go?" Shane asked, his teeth chattering as the cold wind attacked his wet frame.

"Hunting," Carlisle said, throwing a towel over Shane and Renesmee's shoulders. "They thought it would be best to not be hungry at all around you."

"Which I agree with," Alice added, skipping over to them. "You smell good to Tanya too, Shane." She said happily. "Not as good as you do to Nessie, but enough for her to notice."

"Great," he said dryly, marveling at just how much his life had changed in such a short amount of time. He opened his mouth to say something when, visibly, Alice stopped short. Her eyes glanced to Shane with worry and pity and that was enough for him to know that something was wrong. Terribly wrong.


	9. Burning

Rage. Truly that was the best word that described it. A blind, all-encompassing rage that threatened to consume his entire being. It burned far, far hotter than the flames that currently were consuming his home. He had tried to run inside, of course he had, but he had been caught and restrained before he had taken his second step. The Cullens looked at the fire with grim expressions but not a single word was spoken. The fire had advanced far too much by the time they had arrived for anything to be saved. They had called the local fire department but they, just like everyone else in the town, were no fans of Shane. The fire chief had taken one look at the flames and shook his head with some muttered excuse about how they couldn't do anything. So Shane was left watching as his home, the place that his parents had entrusted to him to watch over, burned to the ground along with every memory and possession that they owned. Priceless photographs, treasured reminders of better times, and a great many other items of significant value burned to ashes in the crimson inferno.

Shane wasn't truly sure whose arms were restraining him, his arms pinned to his side, and he did not care. He struggled against them as much as he could, a distracted corner of his mind told him that he would never be able to escape but he did not care, a stream of insults and hatred dripping like venom from his mouth. Something obscured his vision of the burning building and it took him several seconds to realize that he was staring into the face of Jasper Cullen. The vampire placed a comforting hand on his shoulder but the gesture was ruined by the fact that Shane knew exactly what his real intention was. "Get your hands off me." he snarled.

"Calm down," Jasper said, forcing Shane to do just that. His rage was pushed aside like a leaf in the wind and he ceased his struggling. "There is nothing to be gained from being angry."

"Who did this?" Shane whispered, turning as much as he could to Alice and Edward. The arms that held him relaxed their grip and he stepped away. Both of the vampires looked away uncomfortably, confirming that they each knew precisely who had committed this crime. He stepped toward them, his rage slowly starting to return. "Tell me!"

"Shane," Carlisle began, doubtless preparing to give some sort of speech about forgiveness and not stooping to their level.

"I don't want to hear it," he said flatly, not even turning to look at him. His eyes were fixed on Alice and Edward. "All I want to hear are the names of the people who burned down my home.

"Knowing who did it won't change anything," Bella said soothingly.

"She's right," Renesmee put in.

"Don't you speak," Shane said, his rage gone once more and replaced by a frozen heart. "Don't you of all people speak. As far as I am concerned, you are just as much to blame for this as the one who set the fire."

Nessie's eyes widened in shock and stepped back as though Shane had struck her. She opened her mouth to speak but Shane pounced on the moment of weakness like a beast. He advanced towards her, all thoughts of how she could easily end him gone from his mind. "None of this would have happened if you hadn't lost control of yourself," he said, coming to stand before her. He was only a few inches taller, but that served as she seemed to shrink in on herself.

"Hey man, take it easy," Jacob said, coming to Nessie's aid like a good dog should. "You have no idea how bad Nessie feels about-."

"Don't I?" Shane barked out a manic laugh. He tapped his forehead with one finger. "Oh, I have a _very_ good idea of how she feels. Even right now she has to stop herself from grabbing me and draining me."

"Renesmee is a predator, you know this," Edward said, standing beside Jacob. "I understand that you are angry right now, more than angry, but taking it out on Renesmee isn't helping anyone."

Shane took several steps backward, his venomous stare not losing an ounce of its ferocity. He slowly turned around and began to walk back down his driveway, leaving his jeep where he had parked it. He tossed the keys in his pocket against the vehicle and they clanged loudly off of it. He didn't know where he was going, nor did he particularly care. He simply wanted to be as far from the burning remnant that was his house as he possibly could be.

Shane walked for hours. The cold night air didn't bother him despite the fact that his body was shivering. He didn't feel it. After his initial bout of rage and then subsequent calmness he felt numb. Losing his house was as painful as anything he had ever experienced, like a serpent had wound its way around his heart and was slowly squeezing it until it beat its last. Only when he saw the first rays of light appear over the horizon did he realize truly how long he had been walking for. He stopped on the spot and looked around at his surroundings, not at all recognizing where he was.

He looked up and drew in a long breath, hoping to dispel some of the hollowness in his chest. It didn't work. He shrugged his shoulders and continued on his path down the unknown road he was on, not caring where he ended up. It really came as no surprise when Garrett's voice came from alongside him. "I was wondering where you wandered off to," he said cheerfully. "Not sure what you said to Nessie, but she is absolutely miserable back at the house."

"Are you going to try and make me apologize?" the lifelessness in Shane's voice came as a surprise to even him.

"Not a bad idea," Garrett said fairly, "But no. Not my place to do all that. Just thought that you might want some company. Walking alone gets boring after a while, trust me."

"Can't really stop you, can I?" Shane sighed. Garrett's innocent whistle was all the answer he needed. "Where are the others? I'm assuming that they didn't leave me alone."

"Actually, that's exactly what they did," Garrett admitted. "Carlisle told them that you needed space. I just don't listen very well."

"Apparently," Shane said, a rueful smile flitting briefly across his face despite himself. "So why _did_ you find me?"

"What, didn't read my mind?" the vampire asked interestedly.

"Too much effort."

Garrett seemed to accept this and moved to stand in front of Shane, stopping his progress. "Look, I'm new to the whole vegetarian thing. They live a peaceful life. I respect it. But that doesn't mean I am okay with assholes like the people who burned down your town getting away with it."

"So, what, are you going to track them down for me?" Shane asked, unsure if he was hopeful or annoyed.

"No, I don't think so," Garrett said, staring at Shane in a new light. "You have no idea how annoying this was."

"How annoying what was?" Shane asked, curiosity now piquing. He reached out with his mind and saw the decision in Garrett's eyes the second he read it in his thoughts.

"Not thinking about this and deciding not to do it when I really intended on it," Garrett said. His eyes flashed dangerously and he rushed forward in a pale blur.

Shane did not feel the pain of the bite until Garrett was a dozen yards away, grasping a tree roughly as his hands gouged into the bark. Confusedly, Shane put a hand to where his neck had begun to burn and came away with blood on his fingers. "What did you just do?"

But Garrett couldn't answer. He was biting down on his knuckles, his eyes fixed on the ground, clearly struggling against his hunger. "GARRETT!" A voice from the woods roared. Moments later, just as a fiery inferno assaulted Shane's neck, the entire Cullen family came rushing into the clearing.

"We're too late," Carlisle said grimly, his eyes on Shane as the human slid to his knees. Pain such as nothing he had ever felt was now spilling forth from his neck like a terrible flood. "Garrett, what did you do?"

"Oh, don't give me that Carlisle," Garrett said, his hunger now under some measure of control. "I just did him a favor. If the people in this town were willing to burn down his house over a stupid game, how long until they went after him?"

"That's not the point!" Bella shouted. "What about his choice?!"

"Last I checked, most of us didn't get a choice," Garrett said coldly. "Just because the Cullens spoiled you doesn't mean that's how things normally go in this world. Besides, maybe now he and Renesmee can settle their differences. Shared perspective heals old wounds."

"Just… just go, Garrett," Carlisle said softly, gathering Shane in his arms. "I do not agree with your actions, but that does not mean they were unwise."

"If you need a hand keeping him in check, give me a shout," Garrett said. "He kinda is my problem too." With that as a goodbye the former nomad disappeared into the woods.

The flames from the fire were hot against Alice's face as she snapped out of her trance reverie. Edward glanced over at her, reading the vision from her thoughts and glancing over in worry at Shane as he walked away. His jaw set in a grim line, Edward moved with rapid speed towards the human and gently rapped him over the head with one hand. He was careful to use just enough force to render him unconscious and not kill him. The assembled vampires looked at him in shock, with the exception of Alice who nodded in agreement, and Edward slung Shane over his shoulder. "Long story," he explained, "Let's get back home. Alice and I will explain everything there. Trust me, this beats the alternative."


	10. Rage

"Ah, Shane," his first period teacher said as he checked his watch. "Five minutes late to class, I see. I'm afraid that I will have to write you up for that."

It was the day after his house burned down but for all the care that the school showed it may as well have been a decade. But Shane had expected this, in fact he embraced it. "Tell me, Mr. Smith," he said slowly, smiling slightly. The smile never reached his eyes, which remained dead and cold. "Does your wife know that you are fucking Mrs. Lawson?"

The silence that followed this statement was all encompassing. The teacher, who had been in the process of writing up a referral slip for detention, went still. He, very slowly, raised his eyes to meet Shane's. "W-what did you just accuse me of?"

Shane strolled forward and leaned on the desk. He didn't care if they all became aware of what he really could do, he wanted to cause them as much pain as he could. Every single one of them. "I didn't accuse you of anything," Shane purred. "I made a statement of fact. Going to deny it?"

"How _dare_ you!" Mr. Smith snarled, punching his desk in his anger. "How dare you say that I would ever be unfaithful-."

"Mr. Smith, your entire marriage you have been unfaithful," Shane cut in, a wicked glint now entering his eyes. "But don't worry. The truth will set you free. I told your wife all about it. My guess is she is packing her bags right now. You _really_ should have locked your phone, she might not have read it then."

Mr. Smith's face went pale and he ripped his phone out of his pocket, hurrying out of the room as he dialed his wife. Very slowly, a wonderful feeling of vengeance blossoming in his chest, Shane turned around to face the rest of the class. He spread his arms wide and smiled at them with the same cold and dead look in his eyes. "Now then," he said, cracking his neck. "Who wants me to ruin their lives next?"

"That was seriously fucked up." One of his classmates, a girl he had grown up with, named Jessica said to him. "Who do you think you are?"

"Oh, I see we have a volunteer," Shane said. Years and years of being able to read the minds of his classmates had left him privy to all of their dark secrets. He had never intended to use them, but all was fair in war. "Hey, Jessica, how does it feel to know that you are the reason that your older brother left our little town?"

She went quiet, but her body shook in rage. The fact that her brother had left town was common knowledge, and many knew she blamed herself, but Shane knew the whole story. "Poor, imbalanced, pathetic little Jessica couldn't handle the fact that your parents' attention wasn't all yours. All you wanted was for them to pay most of their attention to you, your brother could have the scraps right? So, you did everything you could to make sure that he was the furthest thing from their mind. You whored around and caused them to worry and then got stellar grades so they had no choice but to focus on you. You knew he was feeling neglected, but did you care? Of course not."

She burst into tears and fled the room. The rest of the room was now clearly wary of Shane, none of them wanting their secrets revealed. Shane's heart was soaring in his chest with malevolent pleasure. _This_ was revenge, _this_ was perfection. "Right then, whose next?"

After three more students were ripped apart by Shane the others quickly exited the classroom. "As if that will help you," Shane called to the last of them as they rushed out. But he lapsed back into sullen silence after they left, the temporary happiness he had harvested at their experience fleeing him. None of them had been the ones who had set the fire to his house, much less knowing who the culprit had been.

"Having fun?" Renesmee asked, leaning against the door. Her expression was judgmental in the extreme, clearly having heard everything that had taken place in the classroom. "Because they clearly weren't."

"Does it look like their happiness matters to me even in the slightest?" Shane asked, turning to face her. He saw her flinch when she met his eyes and he read the pity in her thoughts. "Didn't think so. Now, if you excuse me, I have lives to ruin."

"You can't keep throwing out everyone's secrets for everyone to see!" Nessie said, grabbing his arm. "It's not right!"

"And burning down my house is?" Shane asked. He shrugged his arm loose and began to head to his next class. Predictable he was intercepted by Jasper, Alice, Edward, and Bella. The four vampires and Nessie shepherded him into an empty classroom and locked the door behind them. "I know what you are going to say, so don't waste your breath."

"You might know what we are going to say, but that doesn't mean we aren't going to say it," Alice snapped, angry for the first time since Shane had known her.

She was about to say something else when Shane pulled a pocketknife from his jeans. He flipped it open and pressed it to his palm, holding it tightly against his skin. "Go ahead," he said, almost begging. "Try to tell me what I am doing is wrong, or-or-or even overreacting. Go ahead, please, I would love to hear that. I would love to hear how none of these people, who are all _happy_ that my house burned down, deserve what I am going to rain down on them."

"We aren't saying that they don't deserve this," Bella said calmly. "But if you keep throwing out your ability for all to see like that something is bound to happen."

"Like what?" Shane barked out a short, dark laugh. "They going to burn me at the stake for being a witch? Not like they haven't had practice burning things down before."

"What are you hoping to accomplish here, Shane?" Jasper asked, genuine curiosity in his voice. "By making them suffer."

"You see, that's just the thing, Jasper," he laughed. "I don't want to accomplish anything. I want to tear them all down, I want them to hate me just as much as I hate them. I want to find out who burned my house down and I want to… I want to…" Shane searched desperately for the words of what he would do to the person that had taken everything from him. But he didn't know what he would do when he found them just that he wanted to make them hurt more than he did. He wanted _someone_ to feel what he was feeling, he wanted them to feel worse.

Edward heard all of this but his face was impassive, not giving the slightest of hints as to what he was thinking on the matter. Nessie, on the other hand, her face revealing her thoughts without the need to read them. She pitied him. They all did. Shane dropped the knife onto the floor and kicked it away, the temporary adrenaline that had fueled the action now leaving him. His face returned to a sheet of glass that gave nothing away and moved past the vampires. He half expected one of them to grab him, but they didn't. They turned to watch him close the door behind him as he headed to his next class.

"Any ideas, Edward?" Alice asked heavily.

"He's broken," Edward answered. "And he wants everyone else who caused this to break as well."

"We have to do something," Nessie insisted, her worry for her friend written all over her face. "He can't keep just outing everyone's secrets or someone will take things too far."

"Just wait until he finds the one responsible for burning his house down," Jasper said darkly. "He'll rip them apart. His emotions are swirling all over the place, but he has a massive pool of rage bubbling just beneath the surface. If he finds out who did it I don't know what he is going to do."

"We have to interfere before that happens." Bella said firmly. "I could wrap my shield around the people in his class, that might help."

"Anger might fade with time, but rage intensifies." Jasper shook his head once. "Besides, you can't follow him around for the rest of the school year. That would be like putting a bandage on a volcano."

"I have an idea…" Nessie said slowly, crossing her arms over her chest. She turned to look at the others, biting her lip in thought. "But he won't like it. He won't like it at all."


End file.
